Transcript Document

Chapter 1
The
Correctional
System
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
The Purpose of Corrections

A System Framework For Studying
Corrections
• Goals
• Interconnectedness
• Environment
• Feedback
• Complexity
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
The Corrections System Today

Key Issues in Corrections
• Managing the Correctional Organization
• Working with Offenders
• Connecting Corrections and Social Relations
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
key correctional goals...
Punishment
of the offender
• retribution
Protection
of the public
• deterrence
• rehabilitation
• incapacitation
• restoration
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
“corrections”

the variety of programs, services,
facilities, and organizations
responsible for the management of
individuals who have been accused
or convicted of criminal offenses
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
“social control”
the actions and practices
of individuals and
institutions designed to
induce conformity with
the norms and rules of
society
Class: identify examples of
institutions of social control.
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
most visible forms of corrections =
incarceration!
Prison


Institution for the
incarceration of persons
convicted of serious
crimes, usually felonies
Administered by state (or
federal) government
Jail


Facility authorized to hold
pretrial detainees &
sentenced misdemeanants
for periods longer than 48
hours.
Usually administered by
county government
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
People in Each Category of Correctional
Supervision
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
“system”
(key concept to Clear/Cole’s
approach to corrections)...
“a complex whole consisting
of interdependent parts
whose operations are
directed toward common
goals & influenced by the
environment in which they
function”
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
major aspects/concerns of “system”
framework in corrections
goals
(in conflict)
complexity (next slide)
(functions, agencies, gov’ts)
environment
• public opinion
• $ constraints
• law
feedback
• important
“SYSTEM”
• but rare
• usu. negative
interconnectedness
(= series of related processes,
e.g., prison, parole, probation,
sentencing, classification, supervision)
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
complex distribution of correctional
responsibilities
multiple functions:
•Pretrial detention
•Probation
•Halfway house
•Jail
•Prison
•Parole
•Juvenile services
Corrections
“system”
multiple agencies:
•Dept. Human Services
•Dept. Public Welfare
•Sheriff’s Office
•Dept. Corrections
•Board of Parole
•Superior Court (&others)
•U.S. Courts
•Bureau of Prisons
many levels of
government:
•City
•County
•State
•Federal
•Private
many
branches of
government:
•Executive-prison
•Judicial-probation
•Legislative-all law
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
“federalism”
system of government in which power &
responsibilities are divided between:
a national government
AND
multiple state governments
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
“Prison” and “Jail”
Prison - An institution for the incarceration of people
convicted of serious crimes, usually felonies
Jail - A facility authorized to hold pretrial
detainees and sentenced misdemeanants for
periods longer than 48 hours. Most jails are
administered by county governments; sometimes
they are part of the state government.
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
Prisoners in federal & state
prisons/jails
Federal
11%
State
89%
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
Who pays for what?
local, state, federal $ spent on CJ functions
70%
3 sources of $$ total 100%
local
state
60%
federal
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
police
courts
corr's
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
Cost of corrections,
annual cost per person
by type of custody (U.S.)
$20,000
$18,000
$16,000
$14,000
$12,000
$10,000
$8,000
$6,000
$4,000
$2,000
$0
$19,500
$8,000
$643
max-security
prison
community
facility
probation-local
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
Cost to build a prison bed,
by security level (U.S.)
$80,000
$90,000
cost per bed
$80,000
$70,000
$53,000
$60,000
$43,000
$50,000
$40,000
$30,000
$20,000
$10,000
$0
maximum
medium
minimum
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
The “big 4” in prison pop.
2004
The ‘big four’ account for about 40% of the US prison population.
Califor nia
Te xas
all othe r s
Ne w York
Flor ida
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
3 key challenges of corrections-+ the issues they raise…
1. Managing the correctional organization
 Goals: purposes? conflict?
 Funding: who will pay? how much?
for what?
 Bureaucracy: who does what?
 Interagency coordination:
overlapping jurisdiction?
who resolves adverse consequences of
system-impacting decisions?
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
“street-level
bureaucrats”
public service workers who interact
directly with citizens in the course of their
work, granting access to government
programs & providing services within
them.
• key: street-level bureaucrats
must serve needs of
bureaucracy AND client
• nearly impossible!
• e.g.: probation, parole officer
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
...challenges of corrections
(continued)
2. Working with the offenders




Coordinating actions of both
professional vs. nonprofessional staff
Uncertain technologies:
don’t know what works and when.
Exchange issues:
maintaining control over offenders
Uncertain correctional strategies: what
are we trying to do and how do we best
to accomplish it?
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
“Technology”
a method of applying scientific
knowledge to practical purposes in a
particular field.
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
Myth
Myth: America has such a large prison system,
compared to other countries, because it has so
much more crime.
Fact: Compared to Australia and England, America’s
burglary rate is the lowest, and its assault and
robbery rates fall in between them. Its incarceration
rate is 4 times higher than either country.
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
“exchange”
a mutual transfer of resources based
on decisions as to the costs and
benefits of alternative actions.
Exchange is a key component of
“system” notion. e.g.
 plea bargaining
 inmate “accommodations” (re: compliance)
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th
...challenges of corrections
(continued)
3. “Connecting corrections with
important values”
i.e., remaining mindful that corrections is
imbued with important values about social
relations & social control
 individual rights
 human rights
 legal/moral/ethical limits on state
authority
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 8th